Dark Eldar at lower points games.

Hey mates. Im really struggling now with writing cohesive good roster for DE for smaller points games, like 750-1000.

I dont really understand how DE suppose to be really good at those levels.

It all ending with couple of ravagers, couple of blasterborns , HQ and troops for whats left. But when those choices obviously good at higher points games, playing the advantages of MSU and overwhelming firepower they struggle and lower points where you are really cant take too many toys and have to make more general all-around caapable units.

Can anyone share positive experience in this matter?

What choices seems to be best at lower points games?

Are Raider gunboats viable?

1 or 2 Ravagers?

Cheap HQ, who is he/she? Ranged or CC oriented?

Should any FA units be used?


P.S. My regular opponents play GK, BA and IG.

I have ran 2 haem with liqui that travels with roughly round 8-9wyches (usual, with aggy and raider), two ravagers and If I'm right, a squad of blasborn and a normal squad of warrior with blast. Sorry I don't have the list with me, but that's what I can remember on top of my head when iv got it, I'll tell you.
I think I have posted the list on this site though.
The list doesn't work out too bad, until I guess, u have to crack lots of vehicles.

I dont care for sub 1000 point games, I feel that too much can hinge on 1 or 2 bad rolls.

However, with that being said, Id think the succubus with agonizer would be good for 90 points. You wont see much armor so only bring like 2 ravagers. In a 1k point game a few months ago someone brought Vect so that might be something you aer interested in, its very "deathstar" though.

I regularly play 500-1000pt games with my Dark Eldar, usually against, Craftworlders, Tank Heavy Guard, or Chaos Daemons, and I tend to do alright. Not had much experience vs Knights or Angels so not sure how useful my stuff'll be.
I can post some of my lists as well if you'd like, but generally I'm using full Raiders of Troops (I've got a bit of a fluff corner when it comes to what lists I allow myself, so on this scale its always full Kabalites or full Wyches, Wracks etc.). A single Ravager tends to do really well as in small games often there's not enough firepower to handle your transports and it - again from my experience. Likewise a group of Reavers has its upsides, either mono-tasked or mixed.
My standerd 1000pt Archon sits in a gunboat venom with some Trueborn - often with a mix of weapons as opposed to full Blasters - and again I've usually got him with a Blaster & Djinn Blade to give him options.
I've used a Succubus with an Agoniser and thats it, she did alright though my friend with the Guard had Straaken throttle her which was more effective than I'd remembered.
Scourges have been okay at 1000pts but I think that'll be more hit and miss.

I think that answers most of your questions. My Archon never leaves home without a Shadowfield so isn't the cheapest but does well for me.
Raiders can be used as such, you've just got to be even more careful with them and have a back up plan. I tried chain snares and shock prows if I've got the spare points so they have contiual threat if their Lance gets removed, or I just want to cause havoc.
I've only used a single Ravager with no major problems.
And yes Reavers work well, Scourges have done so, but likely more by luck, others not got the experience of.

For some time I'm working over "Dark Light Disco" article, covering points/shoots ratio in Kabals.


Blaster Archon is great improvement over "I must take HQ" nude Haemonculus, costing only 25 points more. However Haemonculus give You Wrack Troops.

Trueborn are gold. (In fact, 3 of them with 2 Lances are nearly as point efficient as Ravager, minus mobility.)
Incubi are super efficient.

Warriors with Blaster and maybe Blast Pistol are gold.
Wracks are cheapest way to have scoring AND vehicle.

Beasts are good point/efficient units. Rest of FA need points to do job right so skip them.

Ravagers are gold.
Venoms are gold.

So list (let's say non troop slots are limited to 2, point limit 1k):

Haemonculus, 50

3 Trueborn, 2 Lances 86 < Haemonculus
3 Trueborn, 2 Lances 86
Venom, 2xSC 65

5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65

Ravager, 105
Ravager, 105

997

5 Venoms
2 Ravagers + 2x2 lance

4 Blaster Units



and file it to 750:

Haemonculus, 50

5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2xSC 65
5 Warriors, Shredder 50 < Haemonculus
Raider 60

Ravager, 105
Ravager, 105

745

2 Ravagers + Raider
3 Blaster Units
3 Venoms (You could get away with 4 in exchange of Raider)
Shredder/FNP unit

At lower point games I spam 3 wracks squads to give me scoring tanks. Its pretty much 95 points for 12 posion shots and a scoring venom. Using that and a haemie as your HQ, and you can basically fit anything you want into your list. This is how mine looks normally

500 pt list:

55- Haemie w/ Venom Blade
146- 3 Trueborn w/ 3 Blasters, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
95- 3 Wracks, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
95- 3 Wracks, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
105- Ravager

total: 496

1000 pt list:

65- Haemie w/ Venom Blade, Liquifer
146- 3 Trueborn w/ 3 Blasters, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
95- 3 Wracks, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
95- 3 Wracks, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
95- 3 Wracks, Venom w/ Extra Cannon
78- 3 Reavers w/ Heat Lance
78- 3 Reavers w/ Heat Lance
115- Ravager w/ Flickerfields
115- Ravager w/ Flickerfields
115- Ravager w/ Flickerfields

Total: 997 pts

Thanks a lot mates, i'l be starting to look at Wracks, dont have them yet.
Will post list and Army Lists section.

I'm with Shadow on this; AV spam makes DE a right terror at low pts games. My 500 list is almost the same as his, 'cept I run a 2nd Rav instead of Blasterborn and slightly bigger Wrack units. In raw shooting power it is weaker, but never needs to be within 18". Either way no opponent is going to be pleased to face them.

@ 750:

Haemy w/ PW, liq gun 70

4 Blasterborn, 2SC Venom 173

3 Wracks, 2SC Venom 95
3 Wracks, 2SC Venom 95

Rav 105
Rav 105
Rav 105

EDIT: yeah. The best use I've found for all my spare Dissies is to chop them up into Blasters.

Just to check are all three of those Ravagers carrying full Dark Lance's Raneth?

Ok - here is what i got 750.

Haemy - Shatter Shard
7 Wracks Liquifier Raider
3 Wracks Venom 2 SC
3 Wracks Venom 2 SC
Ravager
Ravager
Razorwing

Got all models, except wracks =) Some even painted ). Guess Urien can serve as Haemy.
Shatter Shard and Liquifier are for FnP marines and Termies.

Choice is - trim some wracks and get another splinter cannon on Razorwing or Flickers on Ravagers.

Ballsy, that Razorwing. Me gusta! I'd rather have 2 liq guns than that 7th Wrack, though this is nitpicking to teh extreme.

also I wouldnt mind dropping 2 wracks to get flickerfields on the 2 Ravagers, you could also drop the shattershard to a venom blade, and use the 10 points to put a liquifer in that 5 man wrack squad. The Razorwing really doesnt need the protection because you should be reserving that thing anyway

I've won tournaments with Dark Eldar at this point level. Contrary to normal tourney winning strategy, the normal tactics

and units you might run to win a big 2000 point tourney are NOT what will win you the game at a smaller amount. You really want to find a focus of points efficiency. Here's a list I ran:

Succubus w/ Agonizer
Succubus w/ agonizer



7 Wyches w/ Haywire Grenades, Hekatrix, and Agonizer in a Raider, Nightshields

5 Warriors w/ blaster
Venom, Dual Cannons and Nightshield

5 Warriors w/ blaster
Venom, Dual Cannons and Nightshield

Ravager, nightshield and flickerfield

749 points total

So this list works pretty straightforwardly: The Wyches and their guests rush up into the middle of the enemy army and proceed to annihilate it in close combat while the Ravager and Venoms sit back and blast away at units in cover or light tanks. The Succubi are ridiculously efficient model killers and can reliably win most combats when acting together. The Wyches can also choose to peel themselves off and Haywire a tank (or even a tank wall if you're lucky). Smart options for expansion are another squad of Wyches (perhaps lowering each squad down to 5) in raiders, and eventually another Ravager. Using the Wyches as smart guided missiles vs. tanks is critical to using them right, don't hesitate to put only the Agonizers into contact with actual fleshy bits and then multicharge everything else into a Chimera.

I totally agree about point efficiency and building list for point range rather than "castrating 2k".

Ok, second try:

Archon, Blaster 75 (because Haemonculus is "Dead Weight" in Kabal lists)

5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2 SC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2 SC 65
5 Warriors, Blaster 60
Venom, 2 SC 65

Beasts, 4 Masters, 6 Flocks, 5 Tigers 195 < Archon

Ravager 105

750

Slightly light on ranged AT but it WILL kill stuff in CC.